1. Backup Your Data: The biggest mistake of all would be to not back up your data – “I will do it tomorrow”, “Nothing is going to happen to me, I am a small business”, or even better, “I made a back up already – last year”. When your hard drive fails, it will fail. It will not give you warning, it will just DIE. We learnt this ourselves the hard way, which is why it is number 1 on our list!
And no, the mysterious little genius men in the computer shop cannot always fix it  So pick a day, and back up on that day religiously. As religiously as you would if your life depended on it. Better yet, back up daily, or have cloud backup storage facilities. 

2. Invest in Training: In the last accounting firm we worked with, the owner had invested thousands of money in a software. Great software, except no one knew how to use it. If you are going to invest in a software or in technology, you will need to invest time and money in training. How else will you know how to use it properly?

3. Over communicating: One of our biggest bug bear is the amount of communication tools available to us. We have clients emailing, Skyping, SMS’s, Whatsapp, Messenger, on Basecamp, on Google etc. You get the general idea! We can’t keep track of all the different methods of communication at times, so we have established rules that our clients must stick with. Communication through email and Skype only! Otherwise, it will drive you nuts trying to remember who said what, where and when!!

4. Obsolete Equipment - Having computer equipment that is old or not working properly can actually do you more harm than good! We understand that when people first start out in business, it is sometimes hard to buy a new laptop, or a new computer. But it is worth the investment if you can afford it. It will save your sanity, and those around you too. This also goes for those that have ancient photocopiers or servers. Time to upgrade, so you can grow your business! Out with the old, in with the new we say!
How do you know when? From experience, we would say if you are online shopping while waiting for the pages to load, it would be a good sign to upgrade. Or if you have time to make breakfast, have breakfast and then come back and your computer is ready – another good indicator.

5. Security - Security is a big issue in this day and age, when technology is across all industries, services and locations. Make sure you have an anti-virus software, and a good security system for your server, your computers and for all the online backup filestoo. We would recommend having an expert in to assess this, to make sure you are watertight. It will only be a one off consultation, and you will sleep in bed each night knowing that no one is stealing business files or hacking the server.

6. Anyone out there? Having no existence on social media – or having social media, but not managing it property. Both can do your business more harm than good! If you are on social media, make sure you manage it properly. Make sure the content is right for your intended audience, and reflects on who you are as a brand. Don’t just throw things on there just for the sake of having a post.
And if you are not on there, why the hell not! It is a great way to show people who you are, your personality and as a result, can bring you customers in the future. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, you need to have an online presence, and you need to manage it properly.
There are experts out there that can assist you if you are struggling in this department

7. Emails - Spending your life on emails? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Most small business owners spend a lot of their time on emails, replying, sending, and reading. Make sure your day does not get away, because you are spending so much time on emails.
Setup rules, create spam folders, unsubscribe from newsletters if you find they are no longer of value to you! And allow yourself 1 hour a day in the morning, and 1 hour at night to see if there is anything urgent. Create a schedule for your emails, and stick to it!

8. Tech support – one of the first things we did when we started our business was to engage a person that was an expert in the fields that we were weak in. The biggest one of course was the field of technology!! We needed someone to set us up properly, and someone that we could rely on if the system went haywire.  Don’t fall into the trap of doing it yourself – it could cost you time and money in the future.

In the last accounting firm we worked with, they had the senior manager, with charge out rates of $300 per hour, fixing the computer issues of a junior. Now, we know for a fact that IT gurus can come in for a lot cheaper than this. Smart business? Or not? You decide!